Ovechkin won't be disciplined

Alex Ovechkin won't be suspended or receive an additional fine by the NHL for his hit on Buffalo's Patrick Kaleta on Wednesday night, I'm told.

Ovechkin, as you know by now, was assessed a five minute major for boarding and game misconduct for a controversial check that sent Kaleta headfirst into the boards and drew blood. All game misconducts are reviewed by the league and incur an automatic fine of $200.

Although Ovechkin didn't receive any supplementary discipline for the hit, that doesn't mean he's totally in the clear, either. He now must go 41 games (that's from Saturday's game in Montreal through the March 8 contest against Dallas) without incurring another boarding major and game misconduct, or the two-time MVP will be hit with an automatic one-game suspension.

After the Caps' 2-0 victory over the Sabres, Ovechkin said he won't let the ejection - the second of his four plus seasons in the NHL - affect the aggressive manner in which he plays the game.

"I can't do nothing about it," he said. "I just play my game. I'm not going to change. It's me."

good its over its done with. he didn't get fined, he didn't get suspended, we didn't lose the game because of the call, he still scored, and i got a lot of fantasy points for all of his 15PIMs lol. so now we can all move on and stop complaining about it, its done.

i think two minutes would have been appropriate, and that ovie shouldn't do stuff like that to begin with.

i also gotta say that the zebras were so obviously getting together and deciding that they had to call someone on something in order to even things out too. i mean it was like....choreographed. telegraphed. whatever. if it hadn't been ovie in the box, it would have been someone else. if they are going to have to stir up stuff to make the game 'EXCITING' then at least they could be better actors and not make it so obvious. why do they feel they have to do stuff to make it exciting? it's already exciting to watch such an evenly matched pair of teams play. no intervention necessary to ramp up ratings and stir up controversy.

I was there, in 110, about 13 rows up...right where it happened...and it was a totally bogus call. But it is what it is. More importantly, at least to me, was the unbelievable amount of whining that the Sabres were doing to the refs all night, from the opening faceoff. During every extended stoppage of play one or more Sabres was bending the ear of one of the refs. I really think it had an effect...they felt they needed to call something. And you could see the make-up call (Rivet's tripping penalty--deserved, by the way) coming.

Yes, the refs make me nervous, too. I assume your screen name is in honor of a certain red headed forward currently on the Caps roster, who's my favorite player outside of Ovi. (Yes, I like the team bad boys, what can I say.)

Yes, our playoff berth will likely not depend on one game, as you say. That's if, Ovi gets another game misconduct and is suspended.

Still, deservedly or not, Ovi is probably not going to get the benefit of the doubt from the officials in the near future nor from the league office. And there already are people out there who are convinced that he is a dirty player.

Where I sit, that part of the ice is a little blind, so I didn't get a good look at the call, but after seeing it: what a joke. The Sabre turned away from the hit to make it more from behind. Even still, it was more from the side. Maaaaaaybe, its two, but I'm not even sure of that.

I dont think ovi cares if its 4 games,1 game,or 41 games.He's still gonna play the way he plays and thats what makes him great.And honestly he shouldnt have nothing to worry about cause the hit he was penalized for was not half as bad as for all the penalties he recieved.just bad call on refs part.Ovi plays a rough game but not half as bad as avery or someone like that.hes clean with his hits just this time the refs thought it was more than what it was.So ovi just keep doin what u do and it will be all good!thats why us caps fans luv ovi cause no matter what,ovi will always be ovi! GO CAPS!!!

I happen to agree with assessing a penalty on that play. If you look closely at the play, Ovie was looking at the opponent player the whole way, not looking at the puck at all. That was a charging penalty. The difference between a 5 and a 2 minute is whether you can determine that Ovie had the intention to injured the player.
Ovie does play hard and hit hard but, if you wan to be completely objective (knee to Gonchar, attempt to hurt Richards but hitting Clark, etc...) there is reason to think, among the zebras, that Ovie is developping a bad rap. I don't necessarily think so myself but, if Ovie is becoming a marked men, he may well receive the Lindros treatment by the players and lose any margin from the referee. Thus, the 5 major penalty instead of a minor.

Is there any reason to think Ovi is developing a bad reputation among other players--other fans yes but players? My impression is that he has a hardhitting but can take as well as give style kind of reputation among players. No intent to hurt but willing to hit hard. And that he's the kind of player most other players would like to play with.

Glad to see that the NHL made the correct decision. A 5 min major and a game misconduct was already an excessive punishment for what Ovie did.

The people who keep talking about him developing a bad reputation are clueless hypocrites. They're the same people who always talk about how hockey is a physical game and that European, and Russian players in particular, aren't tough enough and don't hit. Along comes a Russian player that hits hard and all the clowns are all over him every time someone he nails gets a booboo.

I'm sure we won't here the end of this one from Don Cherry on this Saturday's Hockey Night in Canada.

Lindros' career was cut short because of the multitude of concussions he had. His brother also had to retired after like 60 games when he had multiple concussions.

Lindros was so big that he could get away with skating around with his head down in the Juniors but when he got to the NHL and had to deal with bigger D-men and hard hitters, he would get nailed.

Take a look at the hit Scott Stevens layed on him in Game 7 ECF, 2000. Lindros had his head down (something they tell you not to do from the time you are on skates) and Stevens takes advantage of it. Lindros was big but concussion prone and played with his head down too much.

I didn't watch the game...but Ovechkin is huge, he's off the charts on multiple levels, so if he hits someone and they go flying and blood is drawn that doesn't mean it was an inappropriate hit. I think Ovechkin has the right attitude to keep on playing the way he's been playing.